Isaiah 33
33
Warnings to Assyria and Promises to God’s People
1How terrible it will be for you who destroy others
but have not been destroyed yet.
How terrible it will be for you, traitor,
whom no one has turned against yet.
When you stop destroying,
others will destroy you.
When you stop turning against others,
they will turn against you.
2Lord, be kind to us.
We have waited for your help.
Give us strength every morning.
Save us when we are in trouble.
3Your powerful voice makes people run away in fear;
your greatness causes the nations to run away.
4Like locusts, your enemies will take away the things you stole in war.
Like locusts rushing about, they will take your wealth.
5The Lord is very great, and he lives in a high place.
He fills Jerusalem with fairness and justice.
6He will be your safety.
He is full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure.
7See, brave people are crying out in the streets;
those who tried to bring peace are weeping loudly.
8There is no one on the roads,
no one walking in the paths.
People have broken the agreements they made.
They refuse to believe the proof from witnesses.
No one respects other people.
9The land is sick and dying;
Lebanon is ashamed and dying.
The Plain of Sharon is dry like the desert,
and the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying.
10The Lord says, “Now, I will stand up
and show my greatness.
Now, I will become important to the people.
11You people do useless things
that are like hay and straw.
A destructive wind will burn you like fire.
12People will be burned until their bones become like lime;
they will burn quickly like dry thornbushes.”
13You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done.
You people who are near me, learn about my power.
14The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid;
those who are separated from God shake with fear.
They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys?
Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?”
15A person who does what is right
and speaks what is right,
who refuses to take money unfairly,
who refuses to take money to hurt others,
who does not listen to plans of murder,
who refuses to think about evil—
16this is the kind of person who will be safe.
He will be protected as he would be in a high, walled city.
He will always have bread,
and he will not run out of water.
17Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
You will see the land that stretches far away.
18You will think about the terror of the past:
“Where is that officer?
Where is the one who collected the taxes?
Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?”
19No longer will you see those proud people from other countries,
whose strange language you couldn’t understand.
God Will Protect Jerusalem
20Look at Jerusalem, the city of our festivals.
Look at Jerusalem, that beautiful place of rest.
It is like a tent that will never be moved;
the pegs that hold her in place will never be pulled up,
and her ropes will never be broken.
21There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
That land is a place with streams and wide rivers,
but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers;
no powerful ship will sail on them.
22This is because the Lord is our judge.
The Lord makes our laws.
The Lord is our king.
He will save us.
23You sailors from other lands, hear:
The ropes on your boats hang loose.
The mast is not held firm.
The sails are not spread open.
Then your great wealth will be divided.
There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share.
24No one living in Jerusalem will say, “I am sick.”
The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.
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Isaiah 33: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Isaiah 33
33
Jerusalem Will Be Safe
1You defeated my people.
Now you're in for trouble!
You've never been destroyed,
but you will be destroyed;
you've never been betrayed,
but you will be betrayed.
When you have finished
destroying and betraying,
you will be destroyed
and betrayed in return.
2Please, Lord, be kind to us!
We depend on you.
Make us strong each morning,
and come to save us
when we are in trouble.
3Nations scatter when you roar
and show your greatness.#33.3 greatness: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 3.
4We attack our enemies
like swarms of locusts;#33.4 locusts: Insects like grasshoppers that travel in swarms and cause great damage to crops.
we take everything
that belongs to them.#33.4 them: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 4.
5You, Lord, are above all others,
and you live in the heavens.
You have brought justice
and fairness to Jerusalem;
6you are the foundation
on which we stand today.
You always save us and give
true wisdom and knowledge.
Nothing means more to us#33.6 Nothing … us: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
than obeying you.
The Lord Will Do Something
7Listen! Our bravest soldiers
are running through the streets,
screaming for help.#33.7 Listen … help: Or “The Lord heard our shouts and will come to help us.”
Our messengers hoped for peace,
but came home crying.
8No one travels anymore;
every road is empty.
Treaties are broken,
and no respect is shown
to any who keep promises.#33.8 to any … promises: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text “to those in the cities.”
9Fields are dry and barren;
Mount Lebanon wilts
with shame.
Sharon Valley is a desert;
the forests of Bashan and Carmel
have lost their leaves.
10But the Lord says,
“Now I will do something
and be greatly praised.
11Your deeds are straw
that will be set on fire
by your very own breath.
12You will be burned to ashes
like thorns in a fire.
13Everyone, both far and near,
come look at what I have done.
See my mighty power!”
Punishment and Rewards
14Those terrible sinners
on Mount Zion tremble
as they ask in fear,
“How can we possibly live
where a raging fire
never stops burning?”
15But there will be rewards
for those who live right
and tell the truth,
for those who refuse
to take money by force
or accept bribes,
for all who hate murder
and violent crimes.
16They will live in a fortress
high on a rocky cliff,
where they will have food
and plenty of water.
The Lord Is Our King
17With your own eyes
you will see the glorious King;
you will see his kingdom
reaching far and wide.
18Then you will ask yourself,
“Where are those officials
who terrified us and forced us
to pay such heavy taxes?”
19You will never again have to see
the proud people who spoke
a strange and foreign language
you could not understand.
20Look to Mount Zion
where we celebrate
our religious festivals.
You will see Jerusalem,
secure as a tent with pegs
that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes
that can never be broken.
21Our wonderful Lord
will be with us!
There will be deep rivers
and wide streams
safe from enemy ships.#33.21 safe … ships: This probably means that Jerusalem will have a lot of water, without the danger of attacks from enemy ships.
The Lord Is Our Judge
22The Lord is our judge
and our ruler;
the Lord is our king
and will keep us safe.
23But your nation#33.23 your nation: Possibly Judah or Assyria. is a ship
with its rigging loose,
its mast shaky,
and its sail not spread.
Someday even you that are lame
will take everything you want
from your enemies.
24The Lord will forgive your sins,
and none of you will say,
“I feel sick.”
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.